I have a cat that is approx 8 months old adopted from a rescue society. She has received all of her shots and checkups. I have noticed that one of her eyes appears cloudy at times and is not open as wide as the other. It seems to have a film over it. There is no discharge or matter present. She is pretty thin but eats much more than my older, heavier cat. She was treated for an internal parasite when I first adopted her.

The cornea may be damaged (feline herpes--not contageous to people--trauma, bacterial/other viral infections, congenital anomaly, etc.) or the pupil (uveitis) may be involved. It can be Feline leukemia virus, feline immunodeficiency virus, feline infectious peritonitis, toxoplasma, etc. It is time to run a few tests to determine the source and cause.

Depending on the cause, treatment may or may not be effective. Unfortunately, I can not determine this without actually examining your pet, so please see your veterinarian.

Hi,
I actually have the exact same problem. My 8 month old kitten also has a cloudy eye and I took her to the vet and they said it was infected and gave me some antibiotic/steroid drops and antibiotics. She suggested blood work because she said sometimes it means there is something else going on in the body but it was too expensive at the time..Maybe later..I definitely want what is best for my cat..My concern though right now is the antibiotics..She has already been on antibiotics 4 different times..once when she was really young because her and her twin brother both were sneezing a lot..then a few months later because they both had an eye infection, then a few months later again for an eye infection, then they both got a little virus and werent eating and throwing up so the doctor gave them some antibiotics (which was wierd to be because antibiotics are not meant for viruses). Anyway, at that point their eyes were squinting again and the doctor said they probably have a kitten herpes thing of the eye and that is why they get it when they are stressed or something and drops can do just fine and some lysine. This time I thouht it was the same thing but the doctor said it seems different with the cloudy eye because it looks like an infection behind the eye. I'm giving her the drops and it is clearing up..Do I really need the antibiotics though? I started to read how it is not good to give antibiotics all the time especially in young kittens when their immune system is developing, and I have already given it to her 4 times! I feel like these doctors just hand out these antibiotics like candy like it treats anything... Should I give her the antibiotic medicine as well? Does she really need it for her eye, if her eye is getting better? Would you suggest the blood work also? Thanks so much!

I'm hoping the vet, Dr. Lee, will be around to answer your question because there are other possibilities. But if herpes is suspected, it never goes away, like many other viruses, and when it flares up (stress is a big factor), secondary infection is almost a certainty and yes, these must be treated with antibiotics, to withold them would be to prolong her suffering and invite other, more serious infections. So please treat her, whenever the vet says it is necessary.
Herpes is contagious, as are many of the other viruses, although not as contageous as a cold. But the brother, I'm afraid, may also have it, since it is common among kittens from the same litter. Perhaps he is physically a little stronger so doesn't get sick as often.
I have a cat with herpes and he leads a very normal, happy life, although he is miserable during flare-ups, for which he always gets antibiotics.
Stress is a huge factor. Are they in a comfortable, non-threatening situation, no problems with dogs, other cats, small children (sorry). Does she stay inside (highly recommended)? You don't have to treat them like invalids, but safety is a big issue for cats, their number one stressor after not getting enough food.
Make sure they eat the best food you can afford, good nutrition is important.
I would put them both on lysine for a good long time, maybe a couple of months, even when they are not sick. It boosts their immune system. Try the capsules meant for humans, they are not expensive (the kind the vet sells definitely is). Make sure it is pure lysine, no additives. The kind I buy at the health food store is in 250 mg capsules that you empty into their food, twice a day.
Don't despair, kitties with viruses are not necessarily doomed, they just need a little extra care.

Hi My name is Lori.I am very new to the site,and am finding all of your information very helpful! I have a 9 yr old male cat Ratfink,and last year I brought home a tiny farm cat Demetrie.Little did I know she was very sick,signs showed up a week to having her home.Well my male cat started to get these weird hazy spots on his eyes,Brown dots and clear dots.There was no redness or draining at all. After many false treatments he developed a puss ball within his eye.(it was a solid white spot)After taking him in multiple times,getting Neomycin drops and Antibiotics wich worked for a while.Today my new Vet told me they are in deed signs of herpes. With having no cure,he gave me L-lysine,and Chloramphenicol ointment to try. So hopefully this information will help you all out.

My 9 month old cat is having a similar problem. She was perfectly fine when we went to bed the other night but when we got up her eye was messed up. We noticed immediately that it was cloudy and seemed to be looking in a different direction. I would have taken her to the Vet then but when I looked at her again her eye was just cloudy. We have noticed since then that sometimes her eye looks like it is pointed in a different direction that the the other one but not all the time. We are worried about her so please let me know what could have happened and what we should do.

I have a 5-year-old cat with a new (3 weeks) cloudy eye. This occurred after he had been left home alone for 3 days while my husband and I were out of town. It was fine when we got home, then cloudy the next morning. I took him to the vet, who found NO reason for the eye to be so inflamed, cloudy and painful. She also ran blood tests for viruses and bacteria, all of which were negative....including feline HIV, leukemia, etc. His eye seems to be less painful as long as I use the ointment (3 antibiotics + steroid). If I stop the medication for more than a day or two it gets all red and painful to him again. Now they want me to take him to a feline ophthalmologist. More $$..it's been over $400 so far. I love my kitty but this is getting out of control! I don't want him to be in pain, and I would like to know what's happening, but it's so expensive and the vets do NOT accept payments...payment up front, please! The first available appointment is in 2-1/2 weeks! Really? I'm calling another eye practice tomorrow to see if we can get in sooner. I'm very frustrated, and feel badly for my cat. Poor little guy... Has anyone EVER had a firm diagnosis from a vet as to what was causing the cloudiness?

We've found that the veterinary ophthalmologist is less expensive than our regular vet. We had to drive 150 miles to get there (he's in MN) but the fee schedule was really reasonable. With luck you'll find someone similar closer to you. Hope the eye vet can figure out what's wrong!

__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference."

"It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!"

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."

Our 10 month Kitty Roxy developed her cloudy eye on Saturaday afternoon. She doesn't seem to be in pain or anything,but we are going to take her into our vet. Pflute hon,wish you lived here in Chowchilla, CA as Our vet Fred Erickson & his staff are wonderful and do take payments as we've established a rapport with them.